Sohaib, Irfan help Multan take impressive start in National T20

KARACHI: Discarded international Sohaib Maqsood and Mohammad Irfan Khan batted superbly to enable Multan to take an impressive start when they overwhelmed Karachi Whites by eight wickets in their opener of the National T20 Cup at Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan on Tuesday.

After losing Hasan Raza (0) and Gulraiz Sadaf (6) cheaply, Sohaib (88*) and Irfan (67*) shared 160 runs for the unbroken third wicket association to help Multan to achieve the 164-run target with ten balls to spare.

Skipper Sohaib, who did not play more first-class cricket this season, smashed seven fours and three sixes in his excellent career-best knock. Bajaur-born Irfan, on the other hand, also timed the ball well, hitting six fours and two sixes in his 39-ball unfinished career-best feat.Left-arm spinner Raza Hasan and Rahat Ali got one wicket each. “The credit goes to our bowlers who bowled tightly in the last ten overs,” Sohaib said.

He also praised Ifran for his fantastic batting. “The way Irfan batted surprised everyone. He played beautiful innings and that kept the pressure away from me,” Sohaib said.Earlier Test batsman Khurram Manzoor (62) and Rameez Raja Junior (52) added 101 runs for the second wicket association to guide Karachi Whites to 163-7 in the allotted 20 overs.

Khurram, who was bowled by international medium-pacer Aamer Yamin while attempting a reverse drive, hammered seven fours and two sixes from 44 deliveries.Rameez smacked five fours and one six in his fine 45-ball knock. In the last seven overs Multan’s bowlers bowled tightly and prevented their rivals from posting a huge total.

Left-arm discarded international Mohammad Irfan (2-23) and leg-spinner Mohammad Imran Khan (2-29) were the most successful bowlers. Left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar remained the most expensive as he conceded 31 runs in three overs. Discarded international Bilawal Bhatti gave away 36 in his quota of four overs. Karachi Whites’ skipper Mohammad Sami blamed bowling and fielding for the loss. “Many things went wrong,” Sami said.

“It was a good total and we could defend had we not made mistakes in fielding and bowling,” the former Test pacer said. Sohaib was adjudged man-of-the-match for his fine batting. Earlier in the day, former champions Peshawar recorded a narrow two-wicket win over FATA in a low-scoring game to open their account with two crucial points.

Nabi Gul played a key role in Peshawar’s win by scoring valuable 34 off 22 balls to enable his side to achieve the 125-ball target with one ball to spare after losing eight wickets. Gul struck two sixes and a couple of fours. He added 43 for the much-needed fifth wicket association with Zohaib Khan who chipped in with a run-a-ball 15.

Earlier, openers Israrullah (23) and Fawad Khan (18) also tried to provide a solid start but failed to do so due to some good bowling from the oppositions. Israr struck one four from 35 balls. Fawad hammered two fours and a six from 17 deliveries. Left-arm pacer Zia-ul-Haq was the pick of the bowlers with 3-32. Spinner Usama Mir got 2-27.

After opting to bat, FATA’s batting revolved around middle-order batsman Adil Amin who hammered 44 not out to enable his side pile-up 124-5.Adil, who plays for Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) in departmental events, smacked two fours and a six from 45 balls.

Asif Afridi, in the end, hammered a quick-fire 12-ball 19 not out, having smacked two huge sixes. The No 3 batsman Samiullah Junior struck run-a-ball 19 with two sixes. Imran Khan Junior, Waqas Maqsood, Zohaib Khan, Sajid Khan and Test pacer Imran Khan Senior got one wicket each. Nabi Gul was declared man-of-the-match for his precious batting. Today’s fixtures: Lahore Blues v Rawalpindi (11am), Lahore Whites v Islamabad (3pm).